Worthless Loyalty Programs!

I slept in this morning, and didn’t get around to reading emails until something like 9:30am! Weee! The email at the top of my inbox was Chris Elliott’s daily missive. This particular article opined about various issues with loyalty programs and questioned their value. It also includes a few examples from hapless (helpless?) travelers that have been bitten one way or the other by a loyalty program. I was going to get around to writing my own take about this later today, but I’ve already been beaten to the punch. Gary Leff was up earlier than me this morning, and I agree 200 percent with everything he says. So check it out.

I only want to add that if you want to make these programs work for you, YOU are going to need to take it upon yourself to learn how to make that happen. Read the fine print. Study, and consult the myriad of resources available to you to learn how to make your experiences with loyalty programs worth your time. Can it get too complicated? Probably. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying 2 trans-Atlantic trips this summer (one in First, the other in Business) for the cost of a few hundred dollars in taxes. It is what it is. And right now, it IS worth my time…and probably yours too.

Marshall Jackson is an aviation enthusiast and avid cruiser. After 10 years in the airline business, Marshall moved on to a new career that includes plenty of travel and plenty of cruises, and that’s just the way he likes it.